halofanonfandomcom-20200223-history
Enclave and Empire
{|style="width:100%; color:#FFF;" |valign="top" style="padding:5px;"| [Ten arrives to Maria, accompanied by several guards. He's become taller than most Grunts, and wears a ceremonial armor and uniform.] Ten: Bohmo pai Faluwol gut. I am the high general of the Unggoy Star Empire. You may know me as "Ten". I come in behalf of my wife and queen, Nadomea, who wishes peace with the new Spartans.       [Maria is there to greet him alone, though that's an illusion; there are plenty of hidden eyes watching. She wears a simple black uniform and has her hair slicked over professionally. Her expression is neutral, though her eyes appear cold.] Maria: "    I am Spartan-062, Maria Cortez-Csaba. On behalf of the Spartans, I am here to extend hospitality.    " [Ten is grateful for this. He still has nightmares about the terrifying Spartan armor seen during his war days.] Maria:   [Maria lifts her chin ever so slightly, but barely manages to avoid looking down her nose at him.] We welcome any offers of peaceful coexistence with our organization, provided that substantial evidence of such coexistence is presented.     Ten: [It takes the Grunts a little while to understand this. English is still pretty hard to grasp.]     "Is that all you require for peace? It seems somewhat circular to ask for, asking for evidence of coexistence in exchange for existence."    "Eh. Forget this strict talk. Let us talk as friends! Who are you? What is your history?"     Maria: "Our business is war, Ambassador. We aren't as trusting as most when it comes to peace."     [She tilts her head slightly.] Ten: "I think your JOB is war. But here you raise you raise families! That is easily the more valuable to you."     Maria: "You're well-informed. [She pauses, choosing her words carefully.] To put it plainly, my people - myself included - have simply spent so long learning to fight your kind that learning to trust and cooperate is not an easy matter."     Ten: "Yes, it would have better for us to have been born without heads, so that the Demons could not have such ease in piercing them by the thousands. And I daresay now you may have contemplated how to pierce mine. But I have taken the first step in trusting to you, Spartan. Around me are my sons. My family is surrounded by your warriors now and would be lucky to leave alive."     Maria: "Some behaviors are harder to unlearn than most. [She raises an eyebrow.] Then we risk the same losses, it seems. If you're as responsible a parent as I, we'll get along just fine."     Ten:   [Tens hums gladly at this. The others do too, but somewhat less enthusiastically.] "Would you lead around your homeland? We wish to see your prosperity."     Maria: "I'm afraid I can only show you so much. Though if by 'prosperity' yuo mean self-sustainment, the farmlands and the lower-level training grounds will do just fine."     Ten: "Those indeed. But perhaps your schools, your warriors, and your family?"       [She blinks.]     Ten:   "I showed you mine, haven't I?"     Maria:   "I'm not willing to introduce them without their consent, but perhaps."     Ten:   "Thank you. [They bow.] Please lead us around."     Maria: [She motions for them to follow and leads them along a walkway, then down a set of stairs and onto the grass. She indicates what appears to be a set of barracks, tidy plain buildings surrounded by fencing and sporting an obstacle course.]     "What you see here is part of our training regimen. While we're not on duty all the time, we find it useful to maintain a state of constant readiness."     Ten: "Ahhhh. We may adopt this. Many Unggoy are too lax about the possibility of attack."     Maria:   [She gestures at a small 'forest' of upright poles.]     "What you see here is a close-quarters and navigation course, though some of our more nimble Spartans favor hopping along the tops of the poles."     Ten: [Ten sees one of his sons gesturing. Since he does not speak English, Ten translates.] "He says he would like to try it."     Maria:   [She seems mildly impressed, if not humored.] "I wouldn't want your son to be subjected to the effects of our homemade stun grenades, ambassador. For us, they're... unpleasant. For a normal human, potentially lethal."     Ten:   [Ten tells him this. The son looks rather unpleased.] "He says he will have to figure out the substance, so he can immunize himself to it, and can compete here."     Maria:   [She gives a curt nod.] "Adaptation is the key to success."     [Ten nods and motions for her to lead them on.] Maria: [Maria leads them on past the barracks, down a stone path of sorts. Less militarized settlement is visible, a combination of handmade and prefab structures.] "This is where we separate ourselves from war. Where we find our own peace, by creating."     Ten: "I have heard of the Spartan artists. And I saw one, the great Demon with a skull for a face. Does he still stay here, this Spartan?"     Maria: [Maria thinks for a moment, then realizes.] "He died in the War, I'm afraid."     Ten: [Ten's quite surprised to hear this. But he would have been afraid to meet him anyway.]     "Wow. It must have been a great warrior to bring this Demon."     [Ten quickly realizes that sounds insensitive and backpedals.] "But I am sorry he is lost."     Maria:   nods. "One of the greatest barriers my people face is the thought that it's better to die in battle than live in peace. Some Spartans are more content to be killed than die of old age."     Ten:  [Several of Ten's sons look surprised at Spartans suffering such emotional problems. Ten, however, responds.] "It is the opposite for us Unggoy. Old age is a mystery to us. You either are killed in battle or the cold gets you."     Maria: "That's very... unfortunate."     Ten: "That is what we hope to change. And one thing I would to speak about with you."     [Ten gestures for his guards to leave him. They stand a bit farther away.] "We ask for peace with the Spartans because we would like protection. Until we can stand as tall as most."     Maria: [Maria seems interested.]     "Protection. From who?"     Ten: [Ten waves his arms] "Almost everyone! The Elites want more slaves, the Brutes want prey, the Jackals hate us, and the Spartans we fear. We are the least among but we wish to be equals."    "We believe we may have that chance soon, but others wish to end it. These are things I do not want to the others to hear."     Maria: "With the Covenant gone, your people have to rediscover their purpose."     [She almost appears sympathetic.] Ten: "Oh, we already know our purpose: to be able to colonize and gather across the stars as each species is fit to. But the question is the opportunity to and that..." [He gestures for them to enter a nearby house. It appears empty.]    [Maria nods approvingly, standing aside as the Unggoy enter first, then bringing up the rear and closing the door behind them.] Ten:   "You may have heard of a recent raid on a Sangheili warship headed to Charybis. That was us. We captured the ship. The raid was blamed on the local Kig-Yar, but we regret it caused their deaths. They did not deserve that punishment. It took us long but we succeeded in cracking it, with the help of that ship's Engineers. We believe we are ready to deploy our first line of colony ships."    "But the Sangheili may still be hunting for us. And Engineers are bad at keeping secrets. If they learn of our efforts, they will most certainly destroy us. That's why we ask for your protection. They would not dare oppose a site guarded by Spartans."     Maria: [She crosses her arms.]     "Why was it necessary to attack that ship in the first place?"     Ten:   "To our great sadness, we have still had to trade slaves. We are trying to end ties with the Elite and Brute slave markets, but it is difficult when they've entrenched themselves firmly into our economy. But one of our new queens, Fasodea, was captured for not meeting their quota. We snuck aboard and began an operation to steal her back. To our great surprise, the rescue went much better than expected! Apparently the main security force mistakenly jettisoned themselves into space. And so we were left with an empty ship for ourselves. A captured queen is a huge bounty. They take her and she would pour out free slaves for them with no need for them to pay us. It was necessary that we save her."     Maria: "Humanity hasn't suffered the effects of slavery in centuries. Though I can speak from experience and state that involuntary servitude is the least desirable thing a sentient being could endure."     Ten: "Indeed indeed. And I have been a slave myself. I pray my sons will never have to."    "But you speak of your own slavery? What would they subject Spartans to?"     Maria: [She seems to put on her guarded face again.] "I was taken from my parents as a small child and trained to kill without question. Surgically altered to transcend human ability."    "It took me a long time to figure out what freedom meant."     Ten: "Is that why you built this place? So the Spartans may be free?"     Maria:   "That's precisely why."     Ten: [Ten looks out the window. He can see Spartan children playing. Some are curiously examining his sons.] "I think it's fair to say you succeeded."    "I wish to create the same sort of place. Have you ever seen Balaho? I'm surprised our species made it through the centuries."     Maria: "Colonization may be a more humane option, but what of your species? Perhaps your world's inhospitable nature has molded you to be tougher."     Ten: [Ten almost thinks of saying "Says the armored warrior who slew us by the thousands" but thinks better of it.]     "Tougher? Hardly. Even the drones overpower us in strength. We are constantly brought to unbreathable worlds. If we were really so much tougher, we would have never been enslaved."     Maria: [She gives an odd smile.]     "At least I know for certain it's not martial prowess you seek, but true peace: the freedom to simply exist as you so choose, comfortably."     Ten: [Ten tries to smile back, though it's difficult to through his mask. He settles for bowing.] "Great martial prowess would just mean being pushed closer to the front lines. But we want peace, and for that we have to be able to defend ourselves."    "Then would you consent to this alliance? You the Spartans and us the Faluwol Yermo Nurbanu?"     Maria: "We will protect you from enslavement and defend your innocents, if that's what you're asking."     Ten: "We would ask no more. Now... " [Ten opens the house's door and lets the two of them out. His sons rejoin him and he gestures to them what happened inside.] Our meeting is settled. May I request that we see your family?     Maria: [Maria is quiet for a moment.]     "You must understand, I take no pleasure in exposing my children to anyone without their consent, human or not."     Ten: "...I was just curious. I didn't mean to be rude."     Maria: [She sighs and straightens a bit.]     "It is not a matter of... rudeness, Ambassador. It's my own reticence."     Ten: "...I do not know this word. What do you mean?"     Maria: [She allows the neutral facade to slip just a bit, exposing the concern in her eyes.]    "It means I am afraid."     Ten: [Ten's sons around him look rather shocked. A Spartan afraid? Of them? Ten rather tentatively reaches out to touch her kneecap. He hopes she understands it's a kindly gesture.] "We have been afraid of you for years, and now are trusting you with hundreds of lives. If we could conquer that fear, you could do the same."     Maria: [Maria stoops a bit to get on his level.]     "If you understood what it truly means for a Spartan - for me - to... breed, perhaps you would comprehend my meaning a bit more. But I understand your comparison's meaning."     Ten:   "Thank you. If it means anything, it is not often I have been able to keep sons to myself. Many times I have been forced to..."     (Ten can't finish the sentence. His sons look vaguely tearful as well.)     Maria:   [Maria nods slowly, understanding.]     "Follow me." [She leads them outside, past the playing children, who watch half-curiously, half-warily.]     [Ten waves to them. He learned that gesture long ago. And his sons copy him.] [Maria stops a safe distance away from two children in particular, a very small girl and a boy of seven or eight. They aren't far from what appears to be a sturdy home, well in sight of anyone inside.]     Ten: [Ten waves to them again. He wonders if this is as close as they'll get.]     "Is your husband home?"     Maria: "Home, and critical of this decision I'd imagine. But we share a great deal of trust."     [She looks at Ten somewhat apologetically.]     [To his surprise, Ten's sons are stacking up to stand on each other. Maria's kids laugh at seeing them. Maria too can't resist a smile.]     Ten: "I thank you, Maria Csaba Spartan. I hope this will be the beginning of a great friendship among humans and Faluwol."    (They sit and watch their kids play for a while.)     |}